{"id":6838,"date":"2025-09-10T17:25:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/?p=6838"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:50:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T17:50:49","slug":"sophia-soll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/2025\/09\/10\/sophia-soll\/","title":{"rendered":"Sophia Soll"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Sophia Soll<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><b>What was the topic of your research project for the Global East Asia Tokyo course and why did you choose that topic?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My research topic for the Global East Asia Tokyo course was paper, notably Noguchi paper lamps and shoji screens. I defined these art practices while simultaneously theorizing their philosophical and metaphysical properties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What were the main findings and\/or highlights of your research?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My concluding argument deduced from my research was <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">that through the use of paper, Shoji Screens and Noguchi lamps are able to conjure the illusion of an inaccessible interior which makes the viewer appreciate the art form more.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Here is a more in-depth explanation of my very theoretical argument<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: paper technically separates space from the viewer but through its very fragility suggests a filtered glimpse into the hidden interior.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> For example, in Japanese gardens, there exist unattainable places beyond the designated path: moss beds and islands. If you were to step foot in these places, you would immediately ruin the distance which is what makes them so beautiful. It is the same concept with paper screens and lamps<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: it conjures a private inner space which we simultaneously want to access yet know that to do so would ruin the very experience of desire.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I am aiming to flesh this out into a more cohesive and published research paper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Did you face any challenges when completing your research project or throughout the program in general? If so, how did you overcome them?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Language barriers, but otherwise everything was absolutely wonderful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In what ways did the Global East Asia Tokyo program impact or help your research?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Professor Desjardin\u2019s eye for hidden beauty in everyday objects really inspired me to focus on a topic that may potentially be overlooked. Once you microscopically focus on an individual entity, no matter how small, there is a whole world of theories and arguments to be made and discovered.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Can you share any anecdotes about your Maymester experience?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If you are thinking of applying, just do it. Absolutely life-changing experience. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-6848 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1-1024x269.png\" alt=\"Banner images of Sophia Soll in Tokyo. Japan\" width=\"1024\" height=\"269\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1-1024x269.png 1024w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1-768x201.png 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1-1536x403.png 1536w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/eascenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/38\/2025\/09\/Sophia-Soll-1.png 1678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":992,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-fellows"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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